1. Getting Ready for Science Labs
Measurement
Getting Ready for Science Labs

2. Measuring Length
Length and distance are measured in millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), meters (m), or kilometers (km).
1 meter is slightly larger than 1 yard
1 inch equals about 2 1/2 centimeters
1 kilometer equals about 6/10 of a mile

3. Millimeters (mm) 1 mm = 0.1 cm
Your ruler is marked in centimeters with the tiny lines between them indicating millimeters.
The thickness of a dime is 1 mm.

4. Centimeters (cm) 1 cm = 10 mm
In the science lab, you will be measuring in this unit most often.
Be aware that not all rulers are the same. Look for the “0” before measuring!
The width of a fingernail is about 1 cm.

5. Meters (m)
1 m = 100 cm
The height from the floor to your average door handle is just under 1 m.
400 m is the distance around a track.

6. Kilometers (km)
1 km = 1000 m
A little over 2 laps around an outdoor track is about 1 km.

7. Measuring Volume
Volume is measuring in milliliters (mL) and liters (L).
Always read the measurement from the bottom of the meniscus.
About 30 mL = 1 fl. oz.
1 liter is slightly larger than 1 quart

8. Milliliters (mL) and Liters (L)
1 mL = about 4 drops of liquid
1 L = half a 2-liter bottle of soda

9. Measuring Mass
Mass is measured in milligrams (mg), grams (g), and kilograms (kg).
We won’t use milligrams.
About 28 grams equals 1 ounce.
1 kilogram equals a little over 2 pounds.

10. Grams (g)
1 g = kg
The mass of 1 paperclip is about equal to 1 gram.
Always make sure before using any scale or balance that you “zero” it out first!

11. Kilograms (kg)
1 kg = 1000 g
The mass of about 100 pennies will equal 1 kg.

12. Measuring Temperature
Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (°C).
Water freezes at 0°C and at 32°F.
Water boils at 100°C and at 212°F.
Always make sure you are reading on the Celsius side of the thermometer.

13. Metric System
The metric system is the International System of Units (SI) used worldwide by the scientific community.
The metric system is a base-10 system of measuring. In other words, each unit is made up of 10 smaller units. This makes measuring, reading, and converting the units much easier than using standard units of measurement.

14. Metric System
The base unit is determined by what is being measured. Meters are used in length, grams in mass, and liters in volume (liquids).
The prefix for each base unit is the same. For example, a kilometer is one thousand meters and a kilogram is one thousand grams.
Prefix
Symbol
Amount
kilo- k
1000
hecto- h
100
deka- da 10
meter/gram/liter
m/g/L 1
deci- d
1/10
centi- c
1/100
milli- m
1/1000

15. Converting Units

16. Converting a Smaller Unit to a Bigger Unit

17. Converting a Bigger Unit to a Smaller Unit